I love talking to foodies. Cause I know you know what it’s like to fall asleep and dream about breakfast. I always have these grand plans to wake up early and make any number of sweet and savory breakfast-like-a-king...

I love talking to foodies. Cause I know you know what it’s like to fall asleep and dream about breakfast. I always have these grand plans to wake up early and make any number of sweet and savory breakfast-like-a-king...

I love talking to foodies. Cause I know you know what it’s like to fall asleep and dream about breakfast. I always have these grand plans to wake up early and make any number of sweet and savory breakfast-like-a-king...

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Purim

10 Add On Gift Ideas

One of the mitzvahs of Purim is to give mishloach manot comprised of at least two different types of food. In addition to a food basket, consider giving loved ones an extra little gift to enjoy along with their hamantashen. Below are gift ideas for the ten “personalities” you might encounter among your friends and acquaintances.

Sweet and Spicy Sambusak For Purim

Curry leaves, fenugreek, and multi-colored mustard seeds aren’t part of every day Ashkenazi fare. Integral to Indian foods, they are all part of the vast sweep of Jewish cuisine that includes distinct Indian- Jewish communities.

Kolkata (Calcutta), Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay) were home to the largest Jewish communities for centuries, and yet were relatively unknown to the West. There were smaller Jewish communities dotted throughout the Indian subcontinent. They developed foodways deeply influenced by their neighbors, from spices to techniques.

Kosher Shrimp Cocktail Recipes

Whether you keep kosher of have any other kind of dietary restrictions, chances are, at some point in your life, you’ve heard comments like: “What? You’ve never had bacon??” or “You can’t eat lobster? You have no idea what you’re missing!”. And it’s true, I don’t.

Because missing something you’ve never had, is pretty much impossible. It would be sort of like missing a person you’ve never met, right?
In fact, I think not being able to eat certain foods is a good thing. It means I can be perfectly happy eating the “fake” stuff, like soy bacon, or veggie burgers, or imitation crab or shrimp. Recreating traditional flavors can be fairly easy, really. Especially when you have a good selection of seasonings and condiments to choose from. After all, those are the ingredients that will mostly infuse the food with flavor!

Kosher Wine For Purim

This year we celebrate the holiday of Purim on Saturday March 15, 2015. As many of you know, the Sunday meal is a festive seudah celebrated with a delicious meal, songs and lots of drinking. There is a tradition to drink until you can no longer distinguish between Arur Haman and Baruch Mordechai. While that may be too much for most, it’s nice to know there are some wonderful kosher wines to share at your special meal with close friends and family.

Pockets Of Surprise – DIY Kreplach Recipes

With hidden meanings, veiled faces and conspiracy as the theme for the holiday, it is easy to see why kreplach are a favorite food for Purim. Little purses stuff ed with surprise fillings are fun and delicious treats. While homemade kreplach require a bit of effort, they are worth the time spent. I like to use the kreplach in a variety of ways. They are most often served in soups. I also like to crisp them up and add them as “croutons” to salads and to serve them with dipping sauces as hors d’oeuvres.

Unique Chocolate Treats for Mishloach Manot

Everybody that knows me is familiar with my chocolate obsession. The darker and richer, the better! Every year I make a few special treats to put in my mishloach manot. These two are at the top of my list! The chocolate bark is simply delicious and always looks festive and the chocolate dipped honeycomb fits in with my Bee theme. Both are incredibly easy to make and will completely jazz up your mishloach manot!

5 Savory Hamantashen Inspired Menus

Here at Joy of Kosher we have a plethora of hamantashen recipes! Many of the recipes are quite versatile and can be served outside of a Purim party setting. These menus are inspired by 5 savory hamantashen which work as appetizers, main meals, and of course, desserts.

How To Make A Cheese Board Mishloach Manot ...

I was so excited when Tamar asked me to design a Mishloach Manot using Natural and Kosher Cheeses. I have always thought that a cheese board would make a great Mishloach Manot. Cheeses pair well with bread, wine, and grapes (just to name a few), and with little effort can be arranged to make a striking presentation. Additionally, with all the nosh, cakes, and sweets everyone receives, your recipients will be thrilled to receive “real” food that they can nibble on and enjoy throughout the busy day.

A Chinese Purim Seudah Menu

Looking through all the Purim menus we have shared over the years, Italian, Mexican and the ever popular Persian, I was struck by the absence of a Chinese menu. How could I have let that happen!! Not only do I love to cook and eat Chinese to the point that I make a Passover Chinese Seder that is on permanent repeat from my guests requests, but also because I spent every Seudah growing up at the local Kosher Chinese place. We didn’t go out to eat very often when I was little, mostly because there were very few kosher restaurants near where I lived in Florida. Hard to believe I grew up near Boca, which now has an abundant of kosher options. So, those special meals out for Birthdays or for Purim are fond memories and now that I live in New York I wouldn’t even consider going out to a restaurant for Purim. I much prefer cooking for my family, maybe a few friends and celebrating in the quiet of our home rather than an overcrowded restaurant. I can’t wait to share my memories with my kids with this easy to make at home Chinese menu.

The Ultimate Kosher Gift Basket For Any Occasion ...

Choosing the right gift basket is like choosing the perfect birthday card. It’s not just how it looks on the outside, but what it says on the inside that counts. There are many reasons to give a gift basket, from sending condolences, to simply saying hi to a faraway friend, to thanking a host for a special meal. With the holiday of Purim coming up soon, everyone is looking for the right basket to send. I’m excited to tell you I’ve found the ultimate kosher gift basket right here in New York City!

Swingin’ Sixties Seudah – A Hippie...

Maybe it’s all the hype over the anniversary of the Beatles arrival in America. But suddenly I’m nostalgic over an era I never even lived through! I love the music, the handmade clothes, the beads and the spirit. And this year, we’re going back to the garden!

Thanksgiving Inspired Savory Hamantaschen

Happy Thanksgiving…I mean, Happy Purim!!! Two of my favorite holidays have come together to create this unique Thanksgiving Hamantaschen. Layers of sautéed ground turkey and roasted squash stuffed in a rich savory dough flecked with fresh sage. It seriously doesn’t get any better for me. And I highly recommend making extra filling so you can eat the leftovers all week long.

10 Candy Recipes for Purim

I’m a big fan of sending, or receiving, candy in my mishloach manot. Although it is easier to find your favorite kosher candies in the supermarket, it is fun and rewarding to make your own candy at home. Below are 10 DIY candy recipes.

A Cowboy Themed Menu

Irony of all ironies, the year before we made Aliyah we were dressed like Israelis (don’t ask) and delivered mishloach manot full of pitas and hummus. Then when I got to Israel I went for a cowboy and cowgirl costume for the family and made a down home all-American meal. Now, I’m not all that creative, and not all that country, I just stole a page out of my friend Aliza’s playbook. A few years ago she hosted a food-from-the-frontier shindig and together we created a menu similar to the one you see here. I’m not embarrassed to admit it because, on this side of the pond, I’ve got a whole new crew to share it with. These recipes already had a test run, and I know this meal is going to make y’all scream yeehaw (or at least yummy!).